"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

Lewis Carroll

S I L E N T F I L M

This evening of cinematic treasures celebrates 100 years since the creation of Chaplin’s set of masterpieces known as the Mutual Comedies, and explores the fascinating relationship between music and film in the hands of one of the 20th Century’s greatest cultural icons.

Highlights will include screenings of memorable set pieces from The Immigrant, The Adventurer, Limelight and The Vagabond, each with specially curated soundtracks for violin and piano. Featured music includes works by Kreisler, Joplin, Bartok and the famous Czardas by Monti.

The show will also chart some of the musical inspirations of Chaplin’s formative years, and features several of his own compositions alongside those of famous musicians with whom he enjoyed close relationships.

Linking the show together will be lively, fun and informative introductions from the stage, including stories and anecdotes.

Copyright 2017 Mash Productions

Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 silent masterpiece, Battleship Potemkin, is both one of the the most influential films in history and one of the most controversial.

Originally written as a revolutionary propaganda film, it retells the story of a notorious mutiny in 1905, when the Potemkin’s crew rebelled against their officers. Eisenstein hoped the film would be given a new soundtrack every 20 years to help retain its relevance for each passing generation.

For this screening, Matthew and Ashley have curated a powerful soundtrack of music by several different composers, many of whom were influenced and affected by the Russian Revolution of 1917. Works by Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Mussorgsky, Janacek and Bartok have been selected to complement the film’s narrative, and are skilfully timed to correspond with each change of scene. The juxtaposition of one of the 20th Century’s most powerful films with a live soundtrack from some of the greatest composers associated with this turbulent era of political upheaval, makes for a truly compelling experience.